Preventing adolescent male violence is a multidimensional, complex problem, and a critical issue in the United States. The long-term goal of the proposed study is to contribute to understanding of the discursive cultural dimensions of masculinities and adolescent male violence in order to press forward in areas of cultural accountability in relation to prevention of interpersonal violence. The purpose of the proposed study is to explore links between cultural definitions of masculinities and the acting out of gendered behaviors, such as high risk behaviors like violence, and then to locate those connections in the cultural context of competing masculinities and gender socialization. This is a beginning exploratory study that takes into account poststructural understandings of language and discourse, and innovative cross-disciplinary scholarship on gender identity and a beginning critique of masculinities. This recent scholarship has begun to question the discursive cultural prescriptions for masculinities and the normative referent status of traditional male norms for men. Research is beginning to examine masculinity as a complex and problematic construct. In an effort to understand and prevent adolescent male violence, the study will explore complex, cultural maps of masculinities, violence, and the stories adolescent boys tell about their behaviors, about the behaviors of men and boys they know, and about cultural representations of men and boys in the media. The specific aims of the study are: 1) Describe the meanings of masculinities from the perspectives of adolescent boys; 2) Explore how cultural constructions of masculinities contribute to adolescent male violence, as well as non-violent behaviors; 3) Describe ways to prevent adolescent male violence based on insights from boys. The study will be applied ethnographic research. It will consist of a prospective, longitudinal design in a naturalistic setting. Ethnographic methods will include; participant observation, a series of focus groups followed by individual interviews, field notes, and collection of cultural artifacts.